Samsung showcases its first smart ring Galaxy Ring: aiming for an "environment-aware" future

 According to news on February 26, Samsung used a cool video and a name - Galaxy Ring at last month's Galaxy Unpacked event to herald a new category of wearable devices. Now we know a little more about the ring, which is expected to be available this year.

Ahead of Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona, ​​The Verge editor Allison Johnson had the chance to get her hands on a prototype Galaxy Ring device. It is reported that the ring is very lightweight and available in three color options, but Samsung emphasized that the final product may change. Johnson said he senses Samsung's larger ambitions for this new product line and sees it not just as another wearable device, but as part of the company's future "ambient awareness" vision.

The Galaxy Ring prototype Johnson tried on comes in three colors: platinum silver, ceramic black and gold. No photos were allowed during the trial period, but Johnson said the Galaxy Ring is lighter than it looks and is not as heavy to wear as expected. The ring has a slightly concave shape, and each color is available in sizes 5 to 13, which is slightly wider than the usual wearable size range, with sizes marked S to XL on the inside of the ring.

Dr. Hon Pak, vice president of Samsung's digital health department, did not specify which sensors the ring is equipped with, but he mentioned sleep analysis functions based on heart rate, movement and breathing indicators. Dr. Hon Pak said that Samsung's collaboration with its partner Natural Cycles (which has brought menstrual and ovulation tracking features to the Galaxy Watch series) will also be extended to the Galaxy Ring, making it directly compete with the Oura ring. The larger version of the Galaxy Ring will have a larger battery capacity, but Dr. Hon Pak did not provide exact battery life data.

The Galaxy Ring will provide data support for "My Vitality Score," a new feature recently launched by Samsung's Health app. The index is based on a model from the University of Georgia and is calculated based on four factors including sleep, activity, resting heart rate, and heart rate variability. inferred. Vitality Index will also become a feature of Samsung Galaxy Watch, which will be first used on Watch 6 launched later this year, but it will need to be paired with a Galaxy S24 series phone to use it. Galaxy Ring users can also set specific health goals and receive relevant updates and reminders in the form of "Booster Cards," which will also be available in the Samsung Health app later this year.

Throughout the presentation of Samsung’s vision for the future of wearable devices, Dr. Hon Pak repeatedly described the Galaxy Ring as a step toward building a larger “context-aware” ecosystem that provides “home-centric connected care.” The idea of ​​"contextual awareness" does not rely on a single device, but by collecting data from multiple places. For example, your ring, watch, and even your refrigerator can all work together to remind you that it was four days ago when you last ate vegetables, which may be why you've been feeling under the weather lately.

Dr. Hon Pak describes this vision in more elegant terms, envisioning a holistic system that supports individual health goals rather than bombarding users with irrelevant data. This sounds reasonable, even desirable. But first, Samsung needs to get the ring right.